The present invention relates generally to a technique of detecting a speed detection of a vehicle traveling on a road segment, and more particularly to a technique of detecting the speed detection of the vehicle using a geographic database.
Many current vehicle radar detectors include a manually operated switch that changes the sensitivity of the detector. The sensitivity settings in vehicle radar detectors are generally city versus highway detection. The highway setting provides for a more sensitive and broader range of detection, while the city setting provides for a less sensitive and narrower range of detection for avoiding interferences that would output a false alarm. A false alarm is the occurrence of an alarm from the vehicle radar detector as a result of radar signals emanating from fixed objects (such as burglar alarms and automatic garage door openers) rather than from a police speed detector. This requirement of manual switching between these different settings, however, may be cumbersome for some drivers. Moreover, the driver is required to determine the correct setting given a geographic area. Accordingly, there exists a need for improvement of the vehicle radar detectors.